


the monsters running wild inside of me

by nickofhearts



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Bad Ending, Catch & Release, Extremely Dubious Consent, Fae Magic, M/M, The Witcher AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-26 13:38:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12060114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nickofhearts/pseuds/nickofhearts
Summary: Witcher!Noctis AU.





	1. the woods are lovely, dark and deep

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dreamingcicadas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamingcicadas/gifts).



> I apologize for any inaccuracies of Witcher lore!

**I.**

What had he been doing? Noct couldn't remember. The forest was so dark, the light of the moon like ice on the ground where it shone between the trees. He took measured steps along the path that was laid out for him, the weight of his sword heavy against his back. Why did he have a sword? Noct shrugged it off and left it by the side of the road.

He eventually came upon a glimmering pool of water, by its side a man that wasn't quite a man, his eyes golden like Noct's own, though he was _certainly_ no witcher.

"Why hello," the creature said. It beckoned with long pale fingers. "What have we here? A lost little _lamb?_ "

Noct felt drawn to it, though he couldn't say why. He moved forward as if his limbs weren't his own, letting the creature pull him down by its side and stroke its fingers through his hair, murmuring soothing words to him in a musical tone. Was he dreaming? Noct struggled to keep his eyes open, to _focus,_ though everything seemed so far away. 

The creature offered him a slice of fruit from its plate, ripe and red as blood. "Will you dine with me, Noctis?"

When had he told it his name? Noct wanted to shake his head, feeling the _wrongness_ in the air—why had he put down his sword?—but instead he found himself opening his mouth, and the piece of fruit was laid on his tongue, its juices sweet and tart and _refreshing,_ like a restoration spell but without the magical cost. Noct moaned and sucked the traces of it off Ardyn's fingers, needing more. He ate every piece that was given to him, the taste of it better than any fruit he'd ever partaken of before.

"Yes, _quite,_ " Ardyn agreed. His mouth drew wide in a smile, and that was when Noct noticed his sharp teeth, teeth meant for devouring _flesh._

He laid a kiss against Noct's mouth, then another, and Noct couldn't shake the fog that had mired his thoughts, couldn't remember why he wanted to scream and struggle and get _away._ Ardyn kissed him, and that was what he wanted, wasn't it?

"You _will_ be a lovely companion, Noctis," Ardyn murmured into his mouth.

"Yes," Noctis agreed. He smiled in return, unaware that his own teeth had grown wickedly sharp, smeared red with the flesh of the succulent fruit.

 

**II.**

Noct woke up in the flaming wreckage of a town with a headache the size of Nilfgaard, but he couldn't remember how he'd gotten there or what had _happened._ He reached for his sword, drawing it and making his way carefully out of the ruins that _had_ been a house not a day prior.

He licked his lips absently, the taste upon them strange and coppery. Was that—blood smeared on his mouth?

Noct wiped it away with the back of his hand and stared at the red colour of it against the bare skin of his ungloved hand. He stumbled, shoulder crashing into one of the few walls that was still standing, as a vision fell upon him.

"You _are_ lovely, Noctis," Ardyn said.

"You already know how to hunt, don't you?" Ardyn said.

" _Show me,_ " Ardyn said, and then he let Noct go.

The scene changed, and it was Ardyn pushing Noct's hair out of his face and kissing him, his mouth filled with blood, the blood of the woman Ardyn had _murdered,_ not a moment prior, tearing her throat open with his teeth.

In the dream, Noct ate hungrily, sucking all traces of blood from Ardyn's mouth.

In the waking world, Noct _screamed._

-

He wasn't a _monster,_ though there were many that would say such things about witchers. They had no idea of what real monsters were. Noct _hunted_ monsters. He pushed the memories away and thought not of how they consciously made him want to retch his dinner up, but there was another darker instinct in him now that purred with satisfaction at the thoughts.

He took on a simple contract of clearing out a drowner nest, and _didn't think of it._

-

There were so many bodies. Noct had never really considered it before, but witchers saw so _much_ death, came across at least one dead body in a day, if they were lucky. He was thinking of it _now,_ because he was hungry, and the body was still _warm._ Noct didn't think, didn't think, didn't think, even as he tore at the body with his _claws,_ pressed his face right up to its throat so he could drink the blood down.

-

"please!" the drowners were screaming at him as Noct stabbed his sword through them one after another, twisting the blade to send them shrieking into oblivion. Were they _speaking_ to him? Noct had never realized before that they could. Their voices were garbling, as if waterlogged, but he _could_ understand them.

"please, we can share!"

He looked at the drowner that was cowering before him, huddled with the last remaining few he hadn't yet killed.

"Share?" Noct asked it in confusion.

"we'll bring you offerings!" it declared quickly, jabbing its companions in the side so they all nodded in concert, like the kind of spring-loaded toys that could never be pushed over.

"Offerings—"

Noct fell back a step as the drowner held up the half-eaten remains of a body, the skin blue with cold and death. His instincts warred with each other, the instinct to _devour,_ and the instinct to be sick at the first.

"do you prefer them fresh?" the drowner asked curiously, blinking bulbous eyes at him.

"Just—go _away,_ " Noct hissed at them. He could feel his teeth sharp in his mouth, the desire to tear and rend and sink them _into_ something almost overwhelming. Could he hear Ardyn laughing, or was that just his imagination? " _Don't hunt here,_ " Noct ordered them, and the drowners nodded at him in unison again, disappearing deeper into the swamp with a series of loud splashes.

He took the money for completing the contract, but he didn't feel _good_ about it.

-

Noct went to see Ignis, because Ignis always had answers. He didn't always have the _questions_ to go with those answers, but it was greedy to ask for too much. Ignis' workshop was filled with all sorts of little trinkets and knick-knacks that he'd bespelled for one purpose or another, and had served Noct well many times in the past.

Noct picked one up now, turning it over in his fingers.

He hissed as it burned his hand, dropping it with a loud clank on the table.

"Something the matter, Noctis?" Ignis called out from the other side of the room.

"No, it's nothing," Noct answered him. He hid his hand behind his back, curling his burned fingers into his palm.

-

Noct headed to the tavern after he'd picked out the most interesting items of Ignis' newest creations—a small wooden top that would explode into fire on contact when thrown; a tracking device that could be calibrated to the _sense_ of a person from an item they'd held dear; a potion that would amplify his own powers for the space of a few minutes, long enough to give Noct that extra push when he needed it.

Noct was in a good mood, and even better when Prompto sashayed up to him with his lute in hand, fluttering eyelashes at him coquettishly.

Noct laughed, slapping him on the ass and making Prompto yelp.

" _Noct,_ you're setting a bad example for the other patrons!"

Noct shrugged, settling his arms around Prompto's waist when Prompto tucked himself into Noct's lap even _if_ he was misbehaving.

Prompto strung a few chords on his lute, humming a vaguely familiar ditty. His eyes were dark with promise as he leaned in, close enough to kiss. "What sharp _teeth_ you have, Mr. Wolf."

Noct went cold all over, and pushed Prompto out of his lap.

"Noct? What's wrong?" Prompto was holding his lute with a look of confusion on his pretty face. "It was just a joke."

"I—I have to go," Noct told him, shoving his way out of the tavern with his fists clenched to quell the sudden desire to cover his mouth, to hide his too-sharp _teeth._ Noct swallowed past the lump in his throat; he'd been staring too long at Prompto's.

-

He took contracts and he cleared out monster dens, though it wasn't quite as he'd always done it before. The monsters all seemed to want to _talk_ to him now, chattier than bar wenches at the end of a night.

Noct made deals when he could, and killed when he couldn't, same as always.

If he used his claws and teeth more often than his sword these days, there was no one else to know. If he feasted on the remains of victims that had already been lost to the realm of the living, _who would know._

Witchers _made do,_ and Noct was learning to live with his new self.

 

**III.**

It happened sometimes, that someone would hire him and then not desire to _pay_ him, citing Noct as no less a monster than those he killed. He'd always let it go before, intimidating the contact into giving up the gold, or just _taking_ it from them, but it made Noct angry now.

He _snarled,_ baring his sharp teeth.

"You want a _monster,_ good sir?" he hissed at them. "I'll _show_ you a swiving monster."


	2. i have but miles to go before i sleep

**IV.**

"How goes the hunting?" Gladio asked him the next time their paths crossed in Vizima, clapping him hard enough on the shoulder to make him stumble.

Noct shoved him back. "Same as always, isn't it? Fight some monsters, get _called_ a monster, get stoned out of town." Noct left off the part where he'd _eaten_ the last unfortunate that'd tried it on him.

Gladio laughed, banging down a few coins at the bar for their ale. "Hear, hear."

The barkeep eyed them warily, but seemed to decide that witcher coin was as good as any other coin, and didn't make a fuss over their patronage. That was wise of him, because _Noct_ wasn't in a particularly generous mood. He slouched into a chair at the furthest table from the door, with the best vantage point of both exits and entrances to the room, and let Gladio regale him with tales of his many exploits, though they both knew he was completely full of shit. Taking out a _basilisk_ with a single punch to the nose? _Please._

-

Noct was drunk enough that he didn't react immediately to the hand that was suddenly at his waist. He didn't even realize it was _Ardyn_ until he turned his head and that startlingly red hair filled his gaze, bright as fresh-spilled blood.

 _Help,_ Noct wanted to scream, but no sound issued from his mouth.

" _Dear_ Noct," Ardyn purred sweetly at him. "Did you miss me?"

Noct was frozen, unable to move a single muscle as Ardyn lifted a hand to stroke his fingers tenderly over Noct's face, tsking at the cuts and scrapes that were the souvenirs of Noct's latest hunt. He blew a cold breath against Noct's cheek, healing them instantly.

 _Don't,_ Noct wanted to scream, _don't touch me,_ but he couldn't.

Gladio tossed him an absent wave and went up the stairs with nary a glance over his shoulder, blissfully unaware of Noct's plight.

Noct closed his eyes when Ardyn kissed him, as if that would save him.

It didn't, but he hadn't expected it to.

-

( _"Noct?_ " Gladio asked, staring at him in shock.

Noct bared bloody teeth at him. He'd been so _hungry,_ each of Ardyn's kisses like a brand against his lips, waking up the monster that pressed against the thin outer shell of his skin, waiting for its moment to push through and strike. Noct had moaned into Ardyn's mouth, _needing,_ and then Ardyn had drawn back so Noct could look with new eyes at the rabble that filled the bar, knowing they were nothing but _meat._

Gladio drew the broadsword that was as long as he was tall, but it was too slow. Noct swept it aside with a brush of his claws, and then he was sinking his teeth into _Gladio,_ his first taste of witcher.

It felt like a dream, but Noct knew it wasn't.

When he woke up, his hands and teeth were bloody yet, and he could taste on his tongue that particular smoky mix of flavours that was _witcher_ flesh.

He wanted to scream, but still he had no voice.)

-

"I _have_ been busy," Ardyn told him. He drew a golden ring from his pocket and slid it onto Noct's finger, a perfect fit. "Did you know, dearest Noctis, that the Emperor of Nilfgaard had an heir, lost to him by the Law of Surprise?" He smiled a coy little smile. "From a prince of the realm to a _witcher,_ but it has served you well, has it not? You have learned a great _many_ things you would not have known as a prince."

Noct shook his head mutely. That _couldn't_ be true. He wasn't a—a _prince,_ like something out of a fairy tale.

"Certainly, there are things you have not learned that suit a prince," he brushed travel dust off the shoulders of the well-worn leather that made up Noct's witcher gear, "but you shall have _me,_ ever by your side."

 

**V.**

The fires burned in Nilfgaard, that now stretched from sea to sea. 

Its new Emperor asked not for tithings of gold or treasure, but that of _flesh,_ of sacrifices to be bled against pale stone altars that were erected in every major city. It was said he followed the old ways, older than the time humans had roamed the lands. It was said that when the sacrifices were enough, a _new_ age would be ushered in, one of darkness and endless night.

It must be true, for already the nights were grown longer than the day, and beasts traveled where they'd dared not tread before. 

The witchers of old that had slain such horrors in legend were now far and few between, gone with the beasts when civilization had pushed at the edges of the unknown, until there was little of the world that could hide such nightmare things. Now the darkness crept in again, reclaiming its lands from the those that had _trespassed_ on its domains, and the handful of witchers that remained were certainly not enough to stop the tide that was to come to drown the world.


End file.
